Leftovers

• The Straits Times ☛ Recap: Major quake off Philippines kills at least 32, with dozens injured

  Tsunami warnings were triggered in Indonesia, Japan, Guam before they were lifted later in the afternoon.

• The Straits Times ☛ At least 35 killed, 134 injured after 7.8-magnitude quake strikes southern Philippines

  Videos posted showed a shopping centre with a Jollibee fast-food restaurant collapsing into rubble.

• Science / Mathematics / Computer Science

  • Science Alert ☛ Strange Stars Look Suspiciously Like They've Been Eating Planets

    Like angry stellar Pac-Men.

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Simulated Nuclear Fallout in The Lab And Got a Surprise

    Previous models missed this.

  • Science Alert ☛ Hail Is Changing, And Scientists Warn It Could Become More Dangerous

    Concerning new predictions.

  • NYPost ☛ Why do some people get sepsis while others don’t? Scientists point to the gut

    Mice with higher concentrations of bacteria in the gut showed early, strong inflammatory responses

  • Science Alert ☛ Three New Ebola Vaccines Are in The Works. Here's The Science Behind Them.

    A few pieces of good news!

  • Science Alert ☛ Your Cat Can Bring Home More Disease Than You Think. Here's What to Do.

    Bad kitty.

  • Science Alert ☛ Sea Level Rise Is Accelerating, And We Now Know The Biggest Reason Why

    "This knowledge gap can be closed."

  • Science Alert ☛ Scientists Found 2 Existing Drugs Could Reverse Alzheimer's Brain Damage in Mice

    This could be a major discovery.

• Career/Education

  • The Straits Times ☛ Plan to introduce French lessons in Indonesia draws support, doubt

    The plan drew criticism over the readiness to expand foreign language education.

• Hardware

  • Tom's Hardware ☛ Chinese startup claims photonic chip production without DUV lithography, says nanoimprint process cuts costs by 90% — 8-inch wafers produced without conventional optical lithography

    Chinese startup Prinano claims it produced 8-inch photonic chip wafers without DUV lithography, using nanoimprint technology that cuts costs by 90%.

• Health/Nutrition/Agriculture

  • Bridge Michigan ☛ Opinion | Harmful Farm Bill proposal would worsen food insecurity in Michigan

    The bill would make it even harder for many families to afford groceries at a time prices continue to rise. A strong Farm Bill should fight hunger, not exacerbate it.

  • Latvia ☛ Latvia targets illicit cigarette factories via equipment suppliers

    In order to improve customs risk management and increase the efficiency of control, the Customs Administration department of Latvia's tax service, VID with the support of experts from the European Commission (EC), has launched a new initiative which aims to identify cigarette production equipment, components and the raw materials necessary for illicit cigarette production, using the Safety and Security Analytics (SSA) system developed by the EC and the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

  • The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia drafting laws to require plain packaging, health warnings for cigarettes

    A survey found that around 5 million smokers were children aged 10 to 18.

  • Federal News Network ☛ How the CDC is building the data infrastructure U.S. public health needs

    CDC's Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology is on a mission to build a smarter, faster, more connected public health data infrastructure.

  • Futurism ☛ Company Behind Hey Hi (AI) School Surveillance System in Major Trouble After It Fails to Spot Armed Student Walking In to Commit Mass Shooting

    "Why is this any better than a metal detector?"

    >

  • New York Times ☛ Scientist Charged With Conspiring to Smuggle Mpox Virus Into U.S.

    The virologist was stopped at the Detroit airport after working in Congo during an mpox epidemic. His lawyer said the material was for research.

  • Latvia ☛ Blood needed urgently in Latvia

    The State Blood Donor Centre (VADC) is urging the public to donate blood, as there is currently a critical shortage of donors for all blood types, Latvian Television's Morning Panorama reports on June 8.

  • Federal News Network ☛ VA EHR rollout continues with 4 more deployments

    VA deployed its new Electronic Health Record system to four more sites, expanding the platform's reach to 14 medical centers nationwide.

• Proprietary / SaaS

  • So-Called 'Artificial Intelligence' ('AI') / LLM Slop / Plagiarism

    • The Straits Times ☛ From ceramah to chatbots: Malaysian political parties turn to Hey Hi (AI) tools to analyse, engage voters

      Political parties are turning to digital tools to analyse voter behaviour and shape narratives.

    • Futurism ☛ You Can Now Get a Religious Exemption From Using Hey Hi (AI) at Work

      Thank God.

  • Social Control Media

    • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean singer IU targeted in online trolling over election disruption

      Her social control media has been flooded with requests that she pay for food for demonstrators.

• Security

  • Privacy/Surveillance

    • Scoop News Group ☛ Meta accuses NSO Group of defying spyware injunction, files contempt of court complaint

      The company said it spotted a spearphishing campaign linked to the Israeli spyware maker targeting WhatsApp users, despite a court order prohibiting it.

    • NYOB ☛ Secret scoring: Join the CRIF class action now!

      Credit Scoring

      CRIF is one of the largest credit reference agencies in Austria. It has built up a largely unknown "shadow registry" containing the names, dates of birth and addresses of almost all adults in Austria. CRIF uses this data to assign people a score. For 90% of those affected, this score is based primarily on address, gender and age. Although this data does not allow for any real conclusions to be drawn about a person’s creditworthiness, the CRIF score often determines whether someone is granted a contract with mobile phone providers, electricity suppliers or banks. We are convinced that this unwarranted data collection and the scoring of people for whom no credit-relevant data is available violates the GDPR.

    • Security Week ☛ WhatsApp Catches Spyware Firm NSO Defying No-Hacking Court Order

      The Meta-owned communications app is filing a federal court contempt order against NSO.

• Defence/Aggression

  • New York Times ☛ U.S. Judge Reverses Decision on Colombian Woman Deported to Congo

    The judge had previously ruled that the woman had been improperly deported by the Convicted Felon administration and had ordered her returned to the United States.

  • France24 ☛ ‘A special sense of closeness’: China’s Pooh-tin vows stronger ties with North Korea in rare visit

    Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping on Monday said that China world not swerve from its commitment ​to safeguarding common interests with North Korea or waver in its support for Kim Jong Un during a rare summit between the two leaders in Pyongyang. The summit comes at a time when China's economy, strengthened by growing trade and military ties to Russia, could boost ⁠North Korea's confidence in talks.

  • New York Times ☛ A ‘Miraculous Transformation’: How Kim Jong-un Fortified North Korea

    He used the pandemic to ruthlessly tighten his grip on the country. Then he energized its economy by leveraging Russia’s war in Ukraine.

  • New York Times ☛ Kim Jong-un’s Triumph

    He leveraged the war in Ukraine to become North Korea’s most powerful leader to date.

  • New York Times ☛ China Reasserts Itself, to Contain North Korea’s Tilt Toward Russia

    On a rare visit to North Korea, China’s leader, Pooh-tin Jinping, projected unity but also sought to remind Kim Jong-un that he is the senior partner in their alliance.

  • The Straits Times ☛ China reasserts itself to contain North Korea’s tilt towards Russia

    In many ways, Chinese President Pooh-tin Jinping’s trip to Pyongyang is an effort to balance influence from Russia.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Xi says willing to bring China-North Korea ties to ‘new heights’ during rare visit

    Xi’s trip to Pyongyang was his first since 2019, after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.

  • The Straits Times ☛ North Korea and China leaders agree to boost ties at Pyongyang summit

    They agreed to expand cooperation in various sectors.

  • Satellite pics reveal Vietnamese construction boom in disputed Spratly chain

    Despite reclamation and aggressive construction on 27 Spratly features, Hanoi can’t catch up to China, experts say.

  • Report: China’s maritime outposts could distract Taiwan’s allies if Beijing invades

    Experts say South China Sea buildup is linked to Taiwan, but the report’s scenario is unlikely if war breaks out.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Chinese military hovered as global executives flocked to Taiwan tech show

    Taiwan is home to TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and supplier to Nvidia, Apple, and Foxconn.

  • The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan says China Coast Guard patrols to its east are ‘provocative act’

    Taipei said its military will maintain coordination with the coast guard, with continuous intelligence sharing.

  • JURIST ☛ China accused of ‘snubbing’ judicial review over controversial London mega-embassy

    The Chinese government has come under criticism after reportedly failing to engage with a forthcoming judicial review concerning its controversial new embassy development at Royal Mint Court in central London, raising questions about transparency and accountability surrounding one of the UK’s most contentious planning decisions.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Pentagon says BYD, Alibaba, Baidu and other tech firms aiding China’s military

    The United States issued an updated list on Monday of Chinese companies that it believes are aiding the country’s military — including e-commerce giant Alibaba, search engine provider Baidu and electric vehicle maker BYD. T

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Chinese leader Pooh-tin lands in North Korea for rare visit

    China’s President Pooh-tin Jinping hailed an “invincible friendship” with Pyongyang on arrival in North Korea on Monday, his first trip abroad this year after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Taiwan says China maritime operation ‘provocative’

    Taiwan said Monday that China’s maritime operation in waters to the east of the island democracy was “provocative” and “expansionism in disguise”. Chinese ships are conducting a “law enforcement operation” in response to talks between Japan and the Philippines to draw a boundary in waters to the east of Taiwan, Chinese state media said Saturday. […]

  • The Strategist ☛ Australia should take interest in Takaichi’s efforts to return abductees from North Korea

    With the sole surviving parent of North Korea’s Japanese abductees turning 90 this year, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing domestic pressure to act.

  • RFERL ☛ Iran, Israel Exchange Strikes As Convicted Felon Urges Them To 'Stop Shooting'

    The Israeli military said its forces targeted Iranian regime sites early on June 8 in retaliation for Tehran's latest attacks on Israel and shortly after US President The Insurrectionist said he would tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to conduct such strikes.

  • France24 ☛ Blow to EU defence cooperation as France, Germany abandon joint fighter jet programme

    France and Germany on Monday announced they were abandoning a joint fighter jet programme due to disagreements between France's Dassault Aviation and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain. The decision came as a blow to European efforts to boost defence cooperation in the face of increasing Russian hostilities and souring ties with the United States.

  • Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine

    • The Straits Times ☛ Armenia PM wins vote but pro-Russian opposition polls strongly

      Armenian PM's victory will boost his efforts to diversify Armenia’s allies away from Russia.

    • France24 ☛ Russian interference in Armenia: A nation tested by disinformation

      Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia is moving to distance itself from Russia and forge closer ties with the European Union. Despite pro-Russian disinformation campaigns targeting the government, the pro-European candidate won the parliamentary elections held on June 7.

    • Latvia ☛ Latvian volunteer soldier in Ukraine dies

      Latvian volunteer soldier Uldis Volmārs has passed away. He was one of the first to go to the front lines in February 2022 to help the Ukrainians, Latvian Television reports.

    • New York Times ☛ Nikol Pashinyan Wins Re-election in Armenia

      Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan overcame a pressure campaign by Moscow and was on track to win a mandate to move ahead on peace talks that Hell Toupée helped broker.

    • RFERL ☛ Russia Suspends Train Service To Occupied Crimea After Ukraine Drone Strike; Gasoline Shortages Worsen

      Russian authorities suspended train service for Crimea after a Ukrainian drone knocked out a locomotive, further squeezing commerce to the occupied Black Sea peninsula struggling with fuel shortages.

    • LRT ☛ Man in Lithuania sentenced for attacking pro-Ukraine cyclist

      A Lithuanian court has sentenced a man who attacked a cyclist wearing pro-Ukraine clothing to 15 months of restricted liberty.

    • Latvia ☛ Deaths in prisons a cause for concern in Latvia, says Justice Minister

      Minister of Justice Edvards Smiltēns (United List) has instructed the Prison Administration to submit, by June 10, a detailed report on the death of a juvenile inmate at the Olaine Prison Hospital, as well as on the overall situation regarding deaths and suicides in prisons, LETA reports.

    • France24 ☛ Zelensky says he had 'positive' talks with Convicted Felon envoys on Ukraine war

      Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he held a positive conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Monday, signalling renewed efforts to advance diplomacy over the war with Russia. The call came as European leaders backed a proposed meeting between Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to seek a ceasefire.

    • France24 ☛ Russian strikes kill four, wound 10 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

      Russian strikes killed four people and wounded 10 others in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, according to local officials. The attack hit the city of Chuguiv, causing fires, damaging residential buildings and vehicles, and adding to a surge in civilian casualties amid intensified fighting in recent months.

    • Latvia ☛ Foreign Affairs Committees of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Türkiye meet in Tallinn

      On June 8th and 9th, the delegations of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will meet with their counterparts from the Parliament of Türkiye in Tallinn, Estonia, to discuss the security situation and further support to Ukraine.

• Transparency/Investigative Reporting

  • Federal News Network ☛ Federal employees are facing a proposed NDA that could deter whistleblowers

    "I think regardless of political leanings, this is an issue that should concern anyone," said Joe Spielberger.

• Environment

  • Energy/Transportation

    • The Straits Times ☛ Higher EV import prices from July 1 risk slowing Malaysia’s momentum

      Imported EV price hike in Malaysia risks slowing adoption even as interest in such vehicles grows.

    • New York Times ☛ How MElon’s Friendship With the F.C.C. Smooths the Way for SpaceX’s I.P.O.

      Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, has greenlighted regulatory requests for the company’s Starlink satellite internet service and lavished praise on its chief executive.

  • Overpopulation

    • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong considers real-name booking for Sai Kung geopark hotspot to curb overtourism

      Hong Kong authorities are exploring the introduction of a real-name reservation system for a popular hiking trail in Sai Kung to curb overtourism.

    • Green Party UK ☛ Food system ‘close to collapse,’ Polanski warns as figures show costs to rise 170% by 2050

      In a speech to the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union today, Green Party leader Zack Polanski will warn that food insecurity is not a ‘distant threat’ and is already impacting customers, farmers and workers in the food industry.

• Finance

  • The Strategist ☛ In minerals purchasing, China is teaching Australia a lesson on economic power

    For decades, Australia assumed economic power flowed from geology. Resource wealth delivered export earnings, government revenue and strategic confidence. The emergence of China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG) over the past four years suggests otherwise.

  • LRT ☛ Company linked to ex-PM Paluckas family broke pledge to repay EU funds

    A company controlled by the family of Lithuania's former prime minister Gintautas Paluckas promised publicly last summer to repay European Union subsidies it had misused. It never did.

  • New York Times ☛ Videos Show Chinese Businesses Hawking North Korean Labor

    On social control media, Chinese entrepreneurs are touting cheap labor across the border, as trade between the two countries regains momentum.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea’s Lee marks first year with vow to find new growth engines

    President Lee Jae Myung pledged to move beyond semiconductors for driving the nation’s economy.

• AstroTurf/Lobbying/Politics

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korea to overhaul election process after ballot shortage shocks country

    Thousands have protested outside a ballot counting station in Seoul, demanding a new election.

  • JURIST ☛ South Korea president calls for legislative inquiry into local election disruptions

    South Korea President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday called on the National Assembly (the Assembly) to open a parliamentary investigation into a ballot shortage that disrupted the local elections in the country last week, stating that the response and explanation thus far to the public has been insufficient.

  • The Straits Times ☛ South Korean President Lee earns praise for pragmatic approach to North and steady diplomacy hand

    He said his priority is to engage Pyongyang while normalising relations with neighbouring countries.

  • The Straits Times ☛ A ‘miraculous transformation’: How Kim Jong Un fortified North Korea

    Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea has achieved the status of a de facto nuclear power.

  • France24 ☛ Peru's polarising election: 'Neither candidate has strong majority' in Congress to enact reform

    Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Tiziano Breda, Senior Analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at ACLED. He argues that Peru's chronic instability is rooted as much in institutional weaknesses as in electoral competition. The reintroduction of a bicameral legislature, he notes, may help curb the cycle in which Congress has repeatedly "deposed presidents and reinstated new ones," but neither candidate is likely to enjoy the parliamentary support necessary to govern decisively. Peru's presidential election is unfolding against a backdrop of deep political fragmentation, rising insecurity, and growing public distrust in democratic institutions.

• Censorship/Free Speech

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Security law update to formalise power of Hong Kong leader to certify any criminal act as a national security case

    The Hong Kong government has proposed allowing the chief executive to certify any criminal act as a national security case, in a legal update that would be binding on the courts.

• Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press

  • Press Gazette ☛ FOI tribunal throws out £14k costs claim against journalist Barnie Choudhury [iophk: another SLAPP attempt]

    Reporter faced cost claim after threatening Judicial Appointments Committee with contempt of court.

• Civil Rights / Policing / Accessibility

  • Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Macau Public Security Police deputy head among 26 arrested over prostitution rings

    The deputy head of the Macau Public Security Police (PSP) is among 26 people arrested after the city’s Judiciary Police (PJ) smashed three prostitution rings last week, according to local media.

  • JURIST ☛ Nigeria authorities criticized for inadequate response to violence against young women and girls

    UN rights experts on Monday condemned Nigerian authorities in response to ongoing reports that mass killings, kidnappings, forced conversion, sexual violence, and enforced disappearances are disproportionately targeting women and girls in Christian and minority religious communities.

• Internet Policy/Net Neutrality

  • APNIC ☛ From workshop to deployment: How Bangladesh ccTLD implemented DNSSEC

    Guest Post: How Bangladesh’s .BD ccTLD moved from no DNSSEC coverage to a fully validated chain of trust across its most critical SLDs, overcoming tooling gaps, operational failures, and infrastructure challenges along the way.

  • APNIC ☛ Provide your input on increasingdiversity in APNIC community leadership

    The APNIC Executive Council (EC) is seeking community input to better understand barriers affecting diversity in community leadership and EC candidacy. These insights will inform future initiatives to support a broader leadership pipeline.

• Monopolies/Monopsonies

  • Patents

    • Dennis Crouch/Patently-O ☛ Six Petitions, Six Placeholders: The Patent Docket Awaiting the Supreme Court

      A case-by-case look at the dozen patent monopoly petitions and applications pending at the Supreme Court, from settled expectations to prosecution laches.

    • JUVE ☛ Finnegan hires Kirkland & Ellis litigator for London office [Ed: How is one single hiring newsworthy?]

      Jin Ooi began his legal career in 2011 at Australian firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth in Sydney. In November 2014, he moved to London to join Allen & Overy where he became a senior associate.

    • Unified Patents ☛ Chargelogic EV battery patent monopoly prior art found

      The team at Unified used Pearl to successfully identify and chart prior art against U.S. Patent 10,090,567, asserted and owned by ChargeLogic LLC, an NPE. The ‘567 patent monopoly relates to chargers and other technology to control charging, use, user-notifications, and optimization of the battery.

  • Copyrights

    • Press Gazette ☛ Who’s suing Hey Hi (AI) and who’s signing: Brazil’s Folha settles Proprietary Chaffbot Company lawsuit with commercial deal [Ed: Paying a price for plagiarism and the debt will grow]